Rejuvenated India aim fresh start to new season

It is that time of the year when India and Sri Lanka meet each other in yet another bilateral series. The frequency with which these two teams have played each other in the past few years would put beach cricket battles between school children to shame, but that hasn't diluted the contests one bit. One would expect a certain feeling of blasť amidst the players while competing against a familiar opposition, but the contests have always been cut-throat. India-Sri Lanka ODIs have single-handedly contributed to the experience of young guns like Virat Kohli, R Ashwin, Angelo Mathews and their ilk. Most of them will be a part of this 5 ODI and 1 match T20I series where new challenges await both sides. India have had a rare 1.5 month break after one of their worst seasons in recent times, while Sri Lanka are in the process of rebuilding and identifying future talent. In short, expect another set of intense and interesting battles between the Asian neighbours.

India

India's showing in the past one year, be it Tests or ODIs, has been discussed to no end. The 8-0 debacle apart, the team did not perform to expectation in recent CB series in Australia and the Asia Cup in Bangladesh. For a team which was supposed to be on a high post the World Cup win, the progress has gone a bit downward. Individually speaking, Virat Kohli has been the standout player in the side which is why his ascent to ODI vice-captaincy did not come as a surprise. MS Dhoni's form as a wicket-keeper/batsman or skipper in the shorter formats has never been questioned, but there is a growing discontentment against him. Gautam Gambhir, after leading his side to the IPL title, has found a new fan following in the general public and media, who want him to be elevated to the post of captain or vice-captain in either of the formats. All this will ensure that the spotlight is keenly focused on these three as far as leadership is concerned. The other batsmen to watch out for will be Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane. Sharma and Tiwary got their chances in the A tour to West Indies and did nothing extraordinary to catch everyone's attention. While Sharma's berth in the squad for the T20 WC in Septemeber might be booked, it will be a golden opportunity for Tiwary who has gotten the chance thanks to Sachin Tendulkar's absence. Rahane has become the darling of the masses after dream performances in England and the IPL, but with the settled opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gambhir, it will be doubtful if he gets any chances.

India's bowling reserves have come in for a lot of criticism recently. Despite that, there aren't any major changes in the bowling line-up except for the inclusion of Pragyan Ojha as R Ashwin's spin partner. The left-armer from Hyderabad has been impressive in the Tests and with Rahul Sharma failing miserably on the West Indies A tour, the selectors have thrown Ojha back into the mix for the shorter format. Irfan Pathan gets yet another chance and he has said that he is raring to go and 'prove his detractors wrong'. Zaheer Khan and Umesh Yadav have gotten a new ally in Ashok Dinda who might get limited chances as Dhoni might operate with 2 spinners on the slow pitches in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka

When Sri Lanka lost the finals of the 2011 World Cup, Kumar Sangakkara was the skipper. After that, Tillekaratne Dilshan took over and in the CB series in early 2012, it was Mahela Jayawardene leading the side. The change of leadership itself indicates that it has been a difficult time for Sri Lanka cricket. On top of that, there were contractual problems and board politics distracting the players. Despite that Sri Lanka have remained a strong ODI side and their progress after a year, in comparison to India, has been way better. The biggest improvement for the island nation has been all-rounder Thisara Perera, who has now become a force to reckon with in international cricket. He was the Man of the Series in the 3-1 ODI series win when Pakistan had toured and even impressed in the one Test that he played. Along with Angelo Mathews he has lent strength to the lower middle order as well as contributing majorly with the ball. The other positive for Sri Lanka has been Dilshan's return to characteristic form. Relinquishing the captaincy turned out to be a smart decision indeed. The team looks stable under the able leadership of Mahela, although they should be worried about the lack of fresh talent blossoming through. The skipper, Kumar Sangakkara and Dilshan are still the mainstay of the batting and other than vice-captain Mathews, none of the other batsmen have really made a mark. On the bowling front, Lasith Malinga's presence in the shorter formats always provides a big boost to the confidence of the side. Off spinner Sachitra Senanayake is a good find, while Rangana Herath will lead the spin attack.

Quotable Quotes

Most of our players have also played in SL many times so getting used to the conditions won't be a big problem- MS Dhoni

We have brought in a few new players for the one-day side, and we have to think about the T20 WC and which of these players will be suitable for that competition.- Mahela Jayawardene